Payton to Clippers makes sense for all concerned

Not a bad idea.

http://www.sportsline.com/b/page/pressbox/0,1328,5505169,00.html





There is a simple solution to this problem facing the Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers.

Do lunch, sip some lattes and make a deal.

There are several reasons why they are made for each other: the direction of the two teams, their financial situations and, of course, their ownership attitudes.


Gary Payton would be the player to take the Clippers to the next level.(Allsport)
The Sonics are top heavy in contracts. For better and probably for worse, they are stuck with the final four years of a seven-year, $86 million deal for forward Vin Baker, one of the most obvious underachievers in the NBA. Young sharpshooter Rashard Lewis is asking for the maximum $100 million but might agree to $80 million if he wants to stay, as if that isn't enough of a commitment for an obviously talented but still undeveloped 22-year-old coming off a dislocated shoulder that ended this season prematurely.

And last, there is soon to be 34-year-old Gary Payton -- the most productive player in franchise history and only bona fide All-Star on the roster -- entering the final year of a seven-year, $84 million contract. He wants an extension, but the Sonics are content to wait him out.

After contending in the Western Conference for eight consecutive seasons -- and reaching the playoffs in 11 of 12 -- the Sonics have failed to make the playoffs two of the past four. They are in a youth movement with sliding attendance, new ownership led by Starbucks chieftain Howard Schultz and a figurative cast of thousands in a quandary over what to do with the three huge contracts for an exciting, yet mediocre, team.

That's where the Clippers come in.

They are chock full of young talent, on their way up the ladder and in dire need of veteran leadership. As is always the case with renowned meddler and cheapskate owner Donald Sterling, there is concern about the fat contracts center Michael Olowokandi, Lamar Odom and Elton Brand will require. Besides, Sterling's interference already blew a deal that would have sent Odom and the eighth and 12th picks of last month's draft to Cleveland for Andre Miller because they chose Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely instead of Caron Butler and Ely.

So they still need a point guard.

How does this all fit?

The answer is Payton, the eight-time All-Star who has been the most consistently dominant guard in the NBA the past 10 years, with the exception of Michael Jordan. Payton loves Los Angeles, is heavily into the music scene (he has his own production company), and still can't believe the Sonics are jacking him around about a contract extension. His physical condition is that of a man 10 years younger, he was named first team All-Defense for the ninth consecutive season -- he and Jordan are the only players to do that -- and he is coming off one of his best seasons (22.1 points, a career-high 9.0 assists and 1.6 steals).

Long before the Clippers were in the market for point guard like Miller or Baron Davis and the stable of talent blossomed around Brand, L.A. general manager Elgin Baylor came after Payton with Olowokandi as the centerpiece. It also was before the 7-footer had actually proved to be a viable NBA center and while the Sonics were struggling with Paul Westphal as coach.

Now that young Nate McMillan has taken charge of the Sonics with a brash new approach, it is time for the Sonics to take a definitive direction.

All the chatter about staying in the playoffs while rebuilding is fine rhetorical blather. They are consistently competitive -- if not consistently effective -- only because of Payton. There has always been a split among management and coaches in Seattle because Payton's personality is so high-maintenance. That changed dramatically this past season after a talk with Schultz, and more important, Payton's mentor and former teammate McMillan. But was it permanent?

They have a choice, and it is now, because the Clippers are loaded with talent they are willing to deal, and Payton is exactly the player who can take them to the next level. With him, the Clippers can scare the daylights out of and match the attendance figures of their Staples Center co-tenant, the Lakers.

If the Sonics are not going to commit to Payton for at least two more seasons -- and they don't have the kind of tough frontcourt to seriously compete in the West with him now -- then they should deal him and go young. Take your pick from Odom, Ely, Wilcox, super-charged young forward Darius Miles and young point guard Keyon Dooling and live with the mistakes while McMillan prods them into becoming a scary, defensive-oriented group that can fly up and down the floor.

Both teams can be decent if they stand pat, but the limitations and contract situations are not OK.

Behind the facade, the Sonics can do nothing and be fine, provided Payton minds his manners in public for another season while seething beneath the surface without a deal. Yes, they've got a decent shot at competing for another playoff spot, but trade Payton for the young frontcourt, and then they'll be able to give away Baker for contracts instead of being concerned at all about productivity in return.

Sure, the Clippers could re-sign Jeff McInnis and probably make the playoffs with their best record in more than a decade. More likely, they'll find a way to get things done with Cleveland for Miller. But are they better off with him for a huge contract for seven years, or just two more with Payton, who is far more of a sure thing?

Make an offer for Payton the Sonics can't refuse, provided there is such a thing.

It's a sure-fire way to make the Clippers the talk of the town despite the Lakers going after a fourth consecutive championship.